An Old (and Dear) Friend
Meet Lucy, my sweet plant friend. She’s been in my home and in my heart for over twenty years! Talk about faithful! Even when I forget to water her regularly she just hangs in there.
I trim her stems from time to time, but we both like them long for a full and feminine appearance!
I have been ‘into’ plants for many decades. They bring beauty and peace, most require minimal care, and they clean the air.
But this particular plant is my delight–kind of like a trusty house pet. Every morning when I come into the kitchen I pass by Lucy and she is simply ‘there.’ Her presence warms my heart, never disappoints me, and she is not jealous of my other leafy friends. I thinks she ‘knows’ she has a special place in my life.
I have learned from my old and dear friend to be patient, faithful, trusting, and to remain steadfast no matter what.
“I grow plants for many reasons: to please my soul, to challenge the elements, or to challenge my patience, for novelty or for nostalgia, but mostly for the joy in seeing them grow.”
David Hobson (on Pinterest)
Do you have a favorite plant? If so, tell us about it.
When my youngest daughter was born, she was not expected to live through the night and was in the NICU on a respirator. I had to have surgery the next morning, so was wheeled by her on a gurney to say what was possibly good-bye. I told my husband I did not want family or friends to gift us with baby gifts, that it would be too difficult for us at that time to happily accept, open, and give thanks for them. A dear family friend sent me a small planter with the exact same plant in it as the one in your photo. Unlike you, Karen, I had a black thumb. However, through the years it continued to survive and thrive just like my daughter did. She is now in her 40s with a husband, two children, and she has a busy and productive life giving back as a caring registered nurse. Your post today reminded me of that plant and how lives bloom and grow just like plants do. God bless your day!
What a powerful and inspiring true story, Andy. I feel chills–the good kind–just reading about how your daughter not only lived but continues to thrive. Lives do bloom and grow!!
I love this piece. I have a plant that has survived for more than 40 years. It belonged to my mother-in-law. We brought it to our home when she moved from the house my husband was born in. It is an Angel Wing Begonia . Like yours it survive in spite of being sometime neglected. It was once in the Post Office in Mt. Hermon for a number of years and grew all over the place on trellis my husband put up for it. When he retired we cut it back and brought it home. It survives still. I reminder that once well rooted one can survive many changes in life. There must be a scripture that applies here. I’ll have to look for one. 🙂 Hope to see you soon Karen.
This plant is surely amazing and does remind us that once rooted well, one can survive many changes. I love the picture and the metaphor it evokes. I would love to see you soon, too, Etta Mae. Let’s plan a lunch and visit.
After my son Steven was born, my sister brought a mysterious plant to the hospital and set it at my bedside. As a new resident of Washington State (from sunny Southern California), I was quite unfamiliar with flowering bulbs, and I took one look at the drab-looking plant and thought, What is this, anyway—it looks like an onion! How about some roses or carnations? After all, I just had a baby!
Disappointed, I hid the ugly plant behind some cheerful greeting cards and forgot all about it. On my third day at the hospital (I’d had a C-section), I woke up to an intoxicating fragrance. Wondering what it was, I pushed aside the piles at my bedside until I found the forgotten plant, now blooming with delicate purple blossoms. I inhaled its sweet perfume, completely enchanted. Then I phoned my sister and asked, “What’s that lovely plant you brought?”
“It’s a hyacinth,” she said.
“Thank you—I love it!” I exclaimed. Since that day, the hyacinth has become my favorite flower, and now every spring, many hyacinths bloom in my yard.
It’s so true, Karen, that plants (and flowers) are like old friends, adding joy to our days.
What a sweet story, Nancy. I really enjoyed hearing about the persistence of the plant and how it won you over to the point that it is now your favorite of all flower/friends.
I LOVE THIS !!! My Mother was the one with the Green thumb and I never had one!! I did, however, have a plant that looks a lot like yours ( if there are sort of pale green stripes – irregular stripes-on the leaves) it was in a double pot that was really pretty. It grew and grew, much to my surprise. I had it on a long table and it was almost like a vine and grew the full length of the table! I loved it but do not know what happened to it when we moved to another town.My husband, Herb, was a “plant grower” and our place was surrounded with trees and plants. ME? I would ‘kill them’ if I had to be responsible for watering them ! HA! However, I was really good at making flower arrangements and that turned out perfect for us!!
I love flowers and all plants and thank God for all their beauty.
Thanks for another great reminder of how good God is to us for providing so many beautiful plants for us to enjoy!
Margaret
Margaret, you have so many wonderful experiences. How lovely that Herb grew the flowers with his green thumb and you arranged them with your creative hands.
When Norm and I were first married, I bought and killed several rubber plants. With each subsequent visit to a nursery, Norm reminded me of past failures by asking, “Want to kill another one?”
Hi Marie. Sounds as if Norm had a sense of humor despite your challenge with growing rubber plants! Have things changed since then? 🙂